VoiteQ enables Trespass to venture into Voice

Trespass, the privately owned sportswear leisure brand, has selected Vocollect Voice technology to be implemented by VoiteQ at its Glasgow-based distribution facility.

VoiteQs VoiceMan middleware will interface into the Microsoft Dynamics AX Warehouse Management System (WMS), recently installed by Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics AX specialists, Integrys Solutions. Trespass believes the new Voice solution will enable the company to increase productivity and accuracy in its warehouse, providing many significant efficiency gains and cost savings in the operation.

The Voice-directed picking solution will direct Trespass warehouse operatives around the warehouse to pick orders for both their wholesale customers and retail outlets. The orders will be split by level in the warehouse and assigned to operatives on picking trucks over three levels of racking, each focussing on a specific area. Each will work their way around the warehouse to the various locations, picking the items required by the bar code, product code or description, as provided by the Voice direction.

The items will be placed directly into dispatch boxes, as each operative completes their tour of the warehouse they will be directed to a specific dispatch location. From here the individual boxes will go through the closing process and the order collated. Once complete the order will be put in the dispatch area, the content and courier labels produced and the pallet build finalised prior to distribution.

Ian King, Chief Financial Officer at Trespass commented, Having decided to relocate the company in January 2000, to the new purpose built design and distribution centre, we then undertook a major expansion of the facility in 2004, tripling our warehousing capability. This enabled us to cope with the growth of the business, but we realised we also needed to invest in the IT infrastructure to help us to work more efficiently. The first phase of this was the implementation of Microsoft AX to provide a modern, flexible, simple to use and future proof platform to help us run our business more efficiently. The next phase is the implementation of hands free Voice technology for our picking and packing operations.

Gary Glessner, VP and managing director, Vocollect Europe says; Sports leisurewear is an extremely competitive market; one where stock availability and flexible pricing really count. Vocollect Voice works with the Trespass system to speed up and improve the accuracy of stock picking and packing. These improvements can be linked to reductions in operational costs and improved service to customers and opens up opportunities for competitive pricing along the supply chain.

The VoiteQ solution, built using Vocollect Voice technology, comprises a wearable Voice computer running Vocollects Voice Client Voice recognition software attached to a securely fastened belt and headset worn by the employee. This enables interaction between the user and the Microsoft Dynamics AX WMS via VoiceMan middleware. Operatives can work completely hands and eyes free by receiving picking commands from the WMS, via the plug-in headset and the mobile Voice device; the system literally talks the operative through their task.

Trespass is also investing in an additional VoiceMan module to increase visibility across the operation, in order to further assess warehouse performance. VoiceMan ControlCentre provides the ability to produce live data reporting in the form of Dashboards, giving live graphical visual representation of key operational information. This will enable Trespass management to quickly and easily see a visual representation of the overall operational performance at any given time.

King concluded, We like to choose specialists in their field, which is why we selected Integrys Solutions, as one of the UKs leading Microsoft Dynamics AX Gold Certified Partners. We believe that their experience of integrating Microsoft solutions is well matched by VoiteQs experience of implementing Voice solutions. By utilising specialists we know that we will achieve a solution to help us support the companys growth.

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